For patients and caregivers navigating US coverage and costs
What this page helps you do
Compare public policies from major US insurers. See coverage rules, approval-only rules, regional Blue differences, and federal program routes.
- Your task
- Separate what the evidence supports from what it does not establish for an individual.
- The clinician boundary
- The clinical office owns patient-specific medical documentation; the plan owns its current coverage rule and decision. SteadySkin does not represent you.
Which insurance companies are included?
We cover several of the largest US health insurers, plus key regional and federal examples. Evidence
What is known
These insurers are ranked by national premium dollars collected in the state insurance regulators’ 2024 report. That ranking does not show how many people have a specific plan type.
What is uncertain
A large carrier can have many state, employer, Marketplace, Medicaid, and Medicare products. Inclusion here means the company is common enough to prioritize; it does not mean one policy applies across the group.
Does my plan’s name, such as HMO or PPO, tell me if a home device is covered?
No. HMO means health maintenance organization. PPO means preferred provider organization. POS means point of service. EPO means exclusive provider organization. These names mainly describe which clinicians you can use. A high-deductible health plan (HDHP) mainly affects when insurance starts paying. Evidence Evidence Evidence
What is known
Some employer plans are self-funded. This means your employer pays the claims, while the company on your insurance card administers them. In that case, your employer’s plan document may control instead of the insurer’s published policy.
What is uncertain
Your exact plan document and durable medical equipment (DME) benefit decide the answer. The insurer’s policy, authorization decision, supplier network, and plan funding also matter. Ask for each answer in writing.
What does Anthem or another Elevance plan publish for psoriasis?
Anthem says home UVB may meet its psoriasis rule when creams alone have not worked. Guideline CG-DME-41 also requires doctor supervision and scheduled exams. Treatment must be expected to continue for at least three months. Evidence
What is known
The guideline lists the common home ultraviolet equipment codes and excludes home UVA under the policy.
What is uncertain
An affiliate and member contract may apply the guideline differently. Authorization, supplier, rental, and member-cost rules are not stated in the public guideline.
What does Aetna publish for psoriasis?
Aetna may cover prescription-only home UVB equipment for severe psoriasis with frequent flares. The rule applies when clinic access is not workable or prompt home care is needed. It appears in clinical policy bulletin (CPB) 0205. Evidence
What is known
The same bulletin excludes home PUVA under its policy and distinguishes therapeutic equipment from tanning beds.
What is uncertain
The bulletin does not publish the member’s prior-authorization, supplier, rental, or cost rules. The benefit plan and current code-level response control.
What does Kaiser Permanente publish for psoriasis?
Kaiser Mid-Atlantic includes psoriasis in a regional home UVB policy. It requires doctor supervision, follow-up, ability to use the device, ongoing need, and inability to attend clinic care. Evidence
What is known
The regional policy gives a concrete public checklist for that Kaiser market.
What is uncertain
It is not a national Kaiser rule. Other regions, products, evidence-of-coverage documents, supplier routes, and rental decisions can differ.
What does Centene or Ambetter publish for psoriasis?
An Ambetter state policy says home ultraviolet panels or cabinets may meet equipment rules when psoriasis has not responded to other treatment. The doctor must explain why treatment must happen at home. The least-cost suitable device must be chosen. Evidence
What is known
The policy also addresses education, demonstrated safe use, and choosing a panel or cabinet based on the treatment area.
What is uncertain
This is not a national Ambetter rule. State, product, benefit, supplier, authorization, and rental terms can differ.
Do Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans use one psoriasis rule?
No. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts may cover selected home booths or handheld systems. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island says home phototherapy is not covered. Check independent Blue plans and the Federal Employee Program (FEPBlue) separately. Evidence Evidence
What is known
The Massachusetts policy requires a prescription-only source and doctor supervision. It separates handheld use for small areas from booths for severe disease. The Rhode Island policy says group contracts may differ.
What is uncertain
A Blue logo does not identify the controlling policy. Confirm the exact licensee, product, group contract, authorization rule, and supplier before ordering.
What does UnitedHealthcare publish for psoriasis?
We found no national public UHC commercial home-device rule for psoriasis. Some Medicare Advantage plans publish code-level approval rules. The lack of a national rule is not an approval or exclusion. Evidence
What is known
UHC directs providers to verify the member and product because requirements vary.
What is uncertain
Your exact plan, state, employer arrangement, equipment benefit, and billing code can all change the answer. Ask your plan to send you the specific rule for your policy in writing.
What does Cigna publish for psoriasis?
Cigna reported removing its home-phototherapy coverage statements because the associated codes were no longer clinically managed. That statement is not a coverage approval or exclusion. Evidence
What is known
No current public Cigna psoriasis-specific home-device criteria were located in the reviewed materials.
What is uncertain
The plan benefit and member-specific code or precertification response are needed. Supplier and rental rules are not established by the public update.
What does Humana publish for psoriasis?
Humana requires prior authorization for common ultraviolet equipment codes on its current Medicare Advantage list. That list includes Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. We found no national public psoriasis-specific medical rule. Evidence
What is known
Some Humana Medicaid materials use generic DME and appropriate-size criteria.
What is uncertain
Products and states differ. Prior authorization is a process requirement, not proof that the request meets the medical or benefit rule.
What does Molina publish for psoriasis?
Molina’s national clinical policy lists home-device codes. It does not state a national home-device rule for psoriasis. It warns that a code list does not guarantee coverage. Evidence
What is known
Molina publishes office-phototherapy criteria, while state implementations may add prior authorization or other home rules.
What is uncertain
The public policy’s stated review month has passed. Confirm the current state and product policy, authorization, supplier, and benefit before delivery.
What does Original Medicare publish for psoriasis?
Medicare may cover an ultraviolet cabinet for selected people with widespread psoriasis that has not responded to other treatment. Its national coverage determination (NCD 280.1) requires the contractor to find that medical and other factors support home treatment. Evidence Evidence
What is known
General Part B DME rules also require an eligible order and Medicare-enrolled supplier. The supplier and assignment status affect the member pathway.
What is uncertain
The NCD does not approve your request or name a supplier. It does not set your price or say whether the item will be rented or bought.
What does TRICARE publish for psoriasis?
TRICARE publishes general DME requirements, but no national psoriasis-specific home-UVB criteria were located. Its regional contractor chooses rental or purchase based on economy and appropriateness. Evidence
What is known
The general route requires an authorized order, medical necessity, repeated use, durability, primary medical purpose, and appropriateness for the home.
What is uncertain
Those general standards do not prove coverage for a particular psoriasis device. Confirm the regional contractor, supplier, authorization, and member cost.
Evidence and update context
This optional layer shows the evidence boundary reviewed for this page as of 2026-08-03.
- What this evidence supports
- These insurers are ranked by national premium dollars collected in the state insurance regulators’ 2024 report. That ranking does not show how many people have a specific plan type.
- What it does not establish
- A large carrier can have many state, employer, Marketplace, Medicaid, and Medicare products. Inclusion here means the company is common enough to prioritize; it does not mean one policy applies across the group.
Evidence behind this page
Sources
Each evidence badge opens the source and its limits. The full list stays available here.
- HealthCare.gov, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRegulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports plain-language distinctions among EPO, HMO, POS, and PPO network designs.
What it does not support
It does not determine a home-phototherapy benefit, prior authorization, supplier network, member cost, or the rules of a specific employer or government plan.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRegulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports distinguishing fully insured from self-funded employer coverage and identifying the plan or employer as the source of that answer.
What it does not support
It does not interpret a plan document, establish a benefit, or make a carrier medical policy controlling for a specific member.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Anthem / Elevance HealthRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Anthem-family criteria for home UVB in psoriasis and vitiligo, including prior topical treatment, physician supervision, scheduled review, and expected long-term use.
What it does not support
The member contract and affiliate implementation control; the policy does not state prior-authorization, supplier, price, or rental terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Aetna / CVS HealthRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2026-05-18
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Aetna’s public home-UVB DME criteria for severe psoriasis with frequent flares and stated access or prompt-treatment circumstances, and directs vitiligo readers to CPB 0422.
What it does not support
It does not guarantee coverage or state supplier, authorization, price, or rent-versus-purchase terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Molina HealthcareRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2025-06-11
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Molina’s public office-phototherapy criteria and listing of home-device codes while stating that codes do not guarantee coverage.
What it does not support
It does not provide current national psoriasis home-device criteria; state and product authorization rules remain controlling, and the policy’s stated review month has passed.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic StatesRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2025-02-27
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Mid-Atlantic regional home-UVB criteria for listed conditions, including supervision, periodic follow-up, expected ongoing need, ability to operate the device, and inability to attend facility treatment.
What it does not support
It is not a national Kaiser rule and does not publish price or rental terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- UnitedHealthcareRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2026-01-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports the finding that UHC’s current public national commercial light-and-laser policy does not state condition-specific home-UVB device criteria for vitiligo or psoriasis.
What it does not support
Absence from this document is not an approval or exclusion, and product, state, code-level authorization, DME, supplier, and benefit rules may differ.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Cigna HealthcareRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2025-07-15
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Cigna’s statement that home-phototherapy coverage positions were removed because the associated codes were no longer clinically managed.
What it does not support
That statement is not an approval, exclusion, benefit promise, supplier rule, or current condition-specific criterion.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- HumanaRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports a current Humana Medicare Advantage and D-SNP prior-authorization requirement for the listed ultraviolet-light equipment codes.
What it does not support
It does not supply national condition-specific medical-necessity criteria, establish approval, apply to every Humana product, or state supplier and rental terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Centene / AmbetterRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2024-11-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports one state implementation of Centene/Ambetter DME criteria for home ultraviolet panels or cabinets in refractory psoriasis, including home-site rationale, education, safe use, and least-cost appropriate equipment.
What it does not support
It is not a national Ambetter rule and does not establish vitiligo coverage or rental terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of MassachusettsRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports one regional Blue plan’s criteria for a home booth or handheld narrowband system for specified psoriasis presentations, physician supervision, prescription-only equipment, and its stated authorization status.
What it does not support
It is not a national BCBS or FEP rule and does not guarantee a member benefit.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode IslandRegulatory / guideline · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2024-02-07
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports BCBSRI’s public noncoverage position for home phototherapy in its stated commercial and Medicare Advantage scope and its warning that group contracts may differ.
What it does not support
It is not a national Blue rule and may be superseded by a newer policy or member contract.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRegulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2026-07-31
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Original Medicare national coverage language for ultraviolet cabinets for selected patients with generalized, intractable psoriasis and local determination of home-versus-alternate-site justification.
What it does not support
It does not establish vitiligo coverage, a member-specific approval, supplier availability, cost, or rent-versus-purchase terms.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- TRICARERegulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2024-09-19
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports TRICARE’s general home-DME requirements and contractor role in rental-versus-purchase decisions.
What it does not support
It does not publish national vitiligo- or psoriasis-specific home-UVB criteria, promise coverage, identify a supplier, or state a member price.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Medicare.gov, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRegulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2026-07-31
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports current Original Medicare context that covered home durable medical equipment requires an eligible order and Medicare-enrolled supplier, that assignment affects member cost, and that rental or purchase treatment depends on the item and program rules.
What it does not support
It does not establish home phototherapy coverage for an individual, a national rental price or term, Medicare Advantage rules, or a supplier’s inventory.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.